Gintae One shots
by miladyswords
Summary: Because, let's be honest, some of us need more Gintae material in our life. Chapter 1:"Hey, Old man, I need you to build me a time machine."


He couldn't say when it started, when exactly he fell for the demon of a woman in front of him. Perhaps it started when they had first met. When she had reminded him –not just through her words, but through her actions- that some things were worth protecting, despite the inevitable pain. Perhaps it was that courage and stalwartness in the face of her own enslavement that relit the dying kindle in his Samurai's heart.

Or perhaps it was the way that she patiently tended to his wounds. He couldn't help it if he sometimes pretended to be unconscious longer than he was just so that he could be awashed in her tender care. He was sure she knew, just like she knew he would be going when she uncutely lent him her umbrella. But she ignored it all the same, and he was just a bit more grateful.

And yet, it may have even been because she reminded him of Ketsuna Ana, her ever-smiling face becoming increasingly precious and worth protecting overtime. Sometimes, at night, behind closed lids and an unconscious mind, he dreamt of her different smiles: sad smiles, worried smiles, warning smiles and even her sadistic smiles, but it was her true smile that graced his dreams the most. When he finally realized that her smiles had the power to move him, he groaned to himself, hoping she'd never find out. She was a sadist gorilla after all.

Or maybe it was the way she gave him family: first through her brother, then by accepting Kagura into the fold. Whether it was through shopping, visiting the onsen, going snowboarding or spending holidays together, the way she accepted their disfunctionality, and added to it, really brought a sense of peace. She was their home. The home he hadn't had since Shouyou sensei was taken away. The home that he wanted to protect, because that was what was important.

So when he had first seen the strands of the white plague blooming on her beautiful brunette hair, he cried. He cried, wet hot tears of rage at his unintentional betrayal. His body became their enemy, and it was an enemy he couldn't destroy, an enemy that was threatening to take away his home.

And so he searched. He searched through the ruins of Blight ships left in bucolic fields of green. He searched through locked down government buildings, scouring their libraries for a cure. He racked his brain, pulling at the strands of his silver head, a head that he now cursed from the depths of his heart. And when he found nothing, he came back to watch.

He watched as she paled, and her hair began to resemble a winter's night. He watched as she stumbled through the hallways to get a glass of water, suppressing her coughs in an ineffective attempt to avoid alarming her brother. He watched as she struggled valiantly to keep her health, to support her mourning brother, to mend the hole that was tearing the fabric of their family apart. He watched as they visited her: Kyubei, Sacchan, Tsukyo, Okita, each bringing a souvenir of their time together, to keep her company since she could no longer leave her room. And now he watched as she slept, the silent tears pouring down her face as she called their names: "Shin-chan", "Kagura-chan", Gin San!"

And when the dawn broke he knew that he would give anything and everything to save her and their broken home. Sauntering through the still-dark alleys of Kabuki-cho, he made his way towards a familiar garage and settled in the shadows to wait. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was resolute.

"Hey, Old man, build me a time machine."

 **Author's note: Sorry this is so short. I love Gintae, and I think they have the best chance at having a final fantasy ending, but they are so hard to write, partially because writing Gintama fics is in general hard as hell because of all the craziness, but mainly because their relationship is so subtle that it is hard to write overt romance without being OOC. Props to the writer's who can write that way, I have a long way to go. Thanks for reading and please drop a review.**


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